Coffee may not be everyone’s cup of um, tea but here are Gen X, we happen to love the stuff. I enjoy a cup of kopi C siu dai as much as the next girl (pretty much every day), but there’s nothing quite like a beautifully tamped and pulled shot of espresso delicately mixed in with milk that is steamed to perfection.
Looking at the number of specialty coffee places popping up all over Singapore, this can only be good news for coffee lovers because now we have so many options for excellent coffee. Cafes are bringing in single origin beans sourced from coffee regions like Tanzania, Kenya, Brazil, Columbia, Guatamala and Honduras – each one delivering a different flavour profile.
And it’s not just the origin of the beans. Many of these coffee places roast their own coffee, finding the right roast for each bean to bring out the balance between sweetness, acidity and complexity.
Whether you’re getting your morning caffeine hit or trying to fend off a food coma or just enjoying a post lunch piccolo, here are the best places to stop by for a cuppa.
Chye Seng Huat Hardware Coffee Bar
This stalwart in the local third-wave coffee scene needs no introduction. Founded by the folks from PPP Coffee (formerly Papa Palheta), CSHH is located along Tyrwhitt Road in a conserved Art Deco shophouse. Here you’ll find roasting facilities, a cupping room, a beer bar and a retail space where you can buy freshly ground coffee beans and professional coffee gear.
Inside the CSHH Coffee Bar, a concept bar provides a one-of-its-kind coffee experience with a 360-degree view of the bar so you can watch and interact with the baristas as they work their magic. The bar also offers an all-day menu, plus a variety of baked goods.
Chye Seng Huat Hardware Coffee Bar: 150 Tyrwhitt Road, Singapore 207563
Opening hours: Tues – Fri 9am – 7pm; Sat – Sun 9am – 10pm
Common Man Coffee Roasters
If you’ve tasted the coffee at Common Man Coffee Roasters, you’ll know that each cup is made with precision, passion and skill. And it comes as no surprise that this is a partnership between Harry Grover (Forty Hands), Australian roaster Five Senses Coffee, and Spa Esprit Group.
CMCR has an array of speciality coffees to choose from, including the more popular Filter Coffee (S$6.50), Cold Brew ($8) and Espressos (starting from $5). Located near Robertson Quay, the roasters also offer hearty brunch as well.
Common Man Coffee Roasters: 22 Martin Road, #01-00, Singapore 239058
Opening hours: Mon-Fri, 7:30am-5pm, Sat-Sun 7:30 am-6pm
Bearded Bella
The girls who started Bearded Bella are real coffee aficionados, having spent years perfecting their craft. One of the owners, Regina Tay was the winner of Singapore National Barista Championship 2016, so you can be sure that every cup of coffee you get from here is the good stuff.
Located along Craig Road, this Melbourne-inspired cafe with a sleek interior design is unpretentious and homely, focusing on providing quality in each item they serve. Beans are roasted in-house in small batches and each cup of coffee is made with passion and dedication. Or if you crave for something sweet apart from the coffee, they sell pastries made by their own pastry chef.
Bearded Bella: 8 Craig Road, Singapore 089668
Opening hours: Mon-Sun, 7.30am-5pm
% Arabica
% Arabica is a world-renowned coffee specialist hailing from Kyoto. Founder Kenneth Shoji’s philosophy was to create the best coffee possible, and they now have cafes in 14 different countries, with the first one in Singapore opening its doors along Arab Street in 2019. They have since opened 3 more outlets around the island.
Each cafe is beautifully designed with its signature minimalist style and equipped with a roastery to roast the beans in-house. The prices are higher than other specialty coffee places across the board but given the quality in each cup, it’s not hard to see why this has been so popular.
% Arabica Singapore – Arab Street: 56 Arab Street, Singapore 199753
Opening Hours: Sun-Thur, 8am – 6pm. Fri-Sat, 8am – 8pm
Dutch Colony Coffee
Established to bring the best bean-to-cup experience, the folks from Dutch Colony Coffee started out with its first retail store at Pasarbella and has since expanded to three retail stores and one roastery and academy/training lab.
One sip of the coffee and you can tell that the baristas here are schooled in the art of the brew. They’ll be happy to chat about beans sourced from primo coffee growing regions and their various brewing methods ranging from the Steampunk MOD machine to manual methods. Come for the espresso drinks and stay for the filter brews as you take the time to savour the different taste profiles in their carefully sourced single origin beans.
Dutch Colony Coffee – Frankel Avenue, 113 Frankel Avenue, Singapore 458230
Opening Hours: Mon-Thur, 8am – 6pm. Fri-Sun, 8am – 8pm
Toby’s Estate Coffee Roasters
The moment I stepped into Toby’s Estate Coffee Roasters and took in that first aroma of freshly roasted coffee, I knew I was in for a treat and I certainly wasn’t disappointed.
They have a team of world-ranked baristas and championship judges who will deliver excellence in every cup of coffee you get from Toby’s Estate. Using advanced roasting technologies, artisan expertise and dedication, the baristas ensure that they bring you the best from every bean.
Toby’s Estate Coffee Roasters, 8 Rodyk Street, 01-03/04 Singapore 238216
Opening Hours: Sun-Thur, 7.30am-6pm. Fri-Sun, 7.30am-7pm
